Round 3 of the 2026 GR Cup season heads to Zwartkops Raceway on 23rd May. The circuit serves as the home base of Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa and presents a vastly different challenge to the long, flowing, technical nature of Redstar Raceway. Short, compact and demanding, Zwartkops rewards aggression and precision but punishes even the slightest of errors. With Dealer drivers, Academy contenders and the Media field all sharing the circuit, the grid will be tighter than ever with 25 cars on track, close-quarters racing is to be expected across every category. New GR Cup Hot Seat Initiative Debuts Adding another layer of intrigue to the weekend is the introduction of the new GR Cup Hot Seat initiative by Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa. The programme will see prominent South African personalities step away from studios, simulators and social media platforms to experience the pressures of real-world circuit racing behind the wheel of the GR Yaris AT. Leading the charge at Zwartkops this weekend will be Girlie Lukhele, a content creator, sim racer and rookie rally competitor who becomes the first Hot Seat entrant to tackle the challenge in a competitive race environment. “Track is something that’s not very familiar to me, so I’m really looking forward to learning more than anything,” Lukhele explains. “Rally has always been my comfort zone, but I’m hoping to apply what I’ve learned there to the track environment and hopefully fight for a podium.” For SuperSport’s Nabil Abdool, the initiative reflects the evolving vision behind the GR Cup platform. “The GR Cup has once again demonstrated its progressive thinking and inclusive approach to motorsport,” Abdool says. “It is opening doors for passionate enthusiasts from different backgrounds and giving them a genuine opportunity to experience main circuit racing. Initiatives like this help widen the